Pirates Edges Cubs, Cards, White Sox Win, ML Roundup

Published on September 24 2013 6:28 am
Last Updated on September 24 2013 6:28 am
Written by Millie Lange

Pirates Edge Cubs, Clinch Playoff Spot

(Chicago, IL) -- Starling Marte homered in the top of the ninth to lift the Pirates to a 2-1 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Neil Walker went deep in the first for Pittsburgh, which clinched its first playoff berth in 21 years. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle says it's great to clinch a playoff berth but they still want to win the NL Central.

The Pirates and Reds remain tied atop the NL Wild Card race at 90-67. Charlie Morton tossed seven innings of three-hit ball in the start while Mark Melancon picked up the win. Jason Grilli notched his 32nd save for the Bucs. Donnie Murphy delivered a pinch-hit RBI single that tied the game in the eighth inning for Chicago. Jeff Samardzija struck out seven in six innings of one-run ball while Kevin Gregg suffered the loss. The Cubs have lost three out of four.

Cardinals Clip Nationals

(St. Louis, MO) -- Adam Wainwright allowed three runs in seven-plus innings as the Cardinals dropped the Nationals 4-3 in St. Louis. Wainwright improved to 18-and-9 on the season. Carlos Beltran broke a two-all tie in the fifth with a two-run homer for St. Louis, which has a magic number of four to clinch the NL Central. Trevor Rosenthal picked up the save. Tanner Roark allowed four runs in five innings to slip to 7-1. Jayson Werth smacked a two-run shot for Washington, which was eliminated from postseason contention.

White Sox Edge Blue Jays

(Chicago, IL) -- Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer and Avisail Garcia added a solo shot as the White Sox edged the Blue Jays 3-2 in Chicago. Jose Quintana tossed 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball while striking out eight to improve to 9-6. Addison Reed notched his 39th save as the Pale Hose won their second straight following a three-game slide. J.A. Happ gave up three runs in five innings and fell to 4-7 for Toronto. J.P. Arencibia hit a solo homer Ryan Goins went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Jays dropped their third in four games.

Marlins Blank Phillies

(Miami, FL) -- Ed Lucas and Christian Yelich each had two hits and an RBI as the Marlins shut out the Phillies 4-0 in Florida. Nate Eovaldi allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five in seven-and-two-thirds innings to improve to 4-6 on the season. Miami is trying to avoid its second-ever 100-loss season at 58-99. The lone 100-loss year was back in 1998, the season following a World Series victory. Roy Halladay allowed a run but didn't make it out of the first due to arm fatigue. Philadelphia has lost five straight overall.

Estrada, Brewers Quiet Braves Bats

(Atlanta, GA) -- Marco Estrada shut Atlanta's bats down for seven solid innings as the Brewers shut out the Braves 5-0 from Turner Field. Estrada held Atlanta to two hits and struck out six for his seventh win of the season. Aramis Ramirez went 3-for-4 with his 12th home run of the season. Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy also went deep. Mike Minor took the loss after allowing three runs in seven innings. He is 13-8 on the year.

Padres Down D'backs

(San Diego, CA) -- Nick Hundley hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning as the Padres downed the Diamondbacks 4-1 in the opener of a four-game series at Petco Park. Chase Headley plated the other run for the Friars, who snapped a two-game skid. Eric Stults tossed 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball as he improved to 10-13. Huston Street closed it out for his 33rd save. Adam Eaton drove in the lone run for the D'backs, who had won their previous two. Brandon McCarthy allowed all four runs in six frames as he slipped to 5-10.

Rays Walk Off O's

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- James Loney hit a pinch-hit, solo homer off Tommy Hunter as the Rays walked off the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth 5-4 at Tropicana Field. Wil Myers added two hits and two RBI at the plate. Joel Peralta pitched a perfect ninth in relief to pick up the win as Tampa Bay swept the four-game set. The Birds lost third baseman Manny Machado to a gruesome left leg injury in the seventh. Alexi Casilla also departed with a head injury after colliding with Nick Markakis on a fly ball. Chris Davis swatted his 52nd home run of the season, adding to his franchise record.

Rios Hits For Cycle In Rangers Rout Of Astros

(Arlington, TX) -- Alex Rios hit for the cycle and drove in four runs to lead the Rangers to a 12-0 rout of the Astros in the first of three games in Arlington. Elvis Andrus went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Ian Kinsler also plated a run and scored twice for the Rangers, who are now just one game behind idle Cleveland for the second AL Wild Card spot. Derek Holland went the distance. He struck out nine while giving up just six hits and no runs as he improved to 10-9. Jordan Lyles was rocked for seven runs in three frames as he fell to 7-9. The Astros have lost 10 straight.

Twins Top Tigers In 11 Innings

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Josmil Pinto singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Twins past the Tigers 4-3 in the opener of a three-game series at Target Field. Brian Dozier hit a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for the Twins, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Eduardo Escobar and Ryan Doumit doubled in a run each in the victory. Anthony Swarzak picked up the win. Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez drove in a run each for the Tigers, whose magic number to clinch their third straight AL Central Division title remains at two. Luke Putkonen suffered the loss.

A's Double Up Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer and scored twice as the Athletics topped the Angels 10-5 from Angel Stadium. Brandon Moss also went deep for Oakland, which has won five straight. Tommy Milone struck out eight and allowed five total runs in 5 1/3 innings for his 12th win. Garrett Richards gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings for the loss. Howie Kendrick hit a solo homer and drove in four for Los Angeles, which has lost two in-a-row.

Reds Heading To Postseason

(Cincinnati OH) -- The Reds now know for sure they are going to the postseason, but they have a couple of mysteries to solve before they make some final decisions. Perhaps Johnny Cueto cleared one of them up on Monday night. Cueto made a big stride in showing that he could be the pitcher that starts the club off in October, no matter where or how it begins in the playoffs. While Cueto did not figure in the decision, a 3-2 Reds win over the Mets came on Shin-Soo Choo's walk-off single in the 10th inning. Moments later, the Pirates won their game vs. the Cubs and the Cardinals eliminated the Nationals from postseason contention with a victory.

Royals Edge Mariners, Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

(Seattle, WA) -- Salvador Perez doubled in the winning run in the top of the 12th as the Royals clipped the Mariners 6-5 at Safeco Field to keep their playoff hopes alive. Perez finished 3-for-6 with two RBI while Emilio Bonifacio had two hits and knocked in a run. Kansas City is three games out of a Wild Card spot after winning its fourth in five games. Wade Davis pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the win while Greg Holland notched his 45th save. Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders each homered in the eighth to tie the game for Seattle. Lucas Luetge took the loss in relief as the M's lost their fourth in five games.